Strain relieved mounting method and apparatus for screen material

ABSTRACT

A method of mounting screen material may include a screen mounted to a frame at multiple mounting points. One embodiment may include mounting patches attached along the perimeter of the screen. These mounting patches may be strain relieved in order to enable rolling the screen without sacrificing the in-plane rigidity of the patches when the screen is mounted to a frame. Stated differently, the strain relieved patches may reduce the strain on the screen in the circumstance the screen is rolled onto a core. The mounting patches may be strain relieved by locating notches or slits in the mounting patch.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and is related to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/938,304, entitled “Strain relieved mountingmethod for screen material,” filed Feb. 11, 2014, which is hereinincorporated by reference. This application is also related to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/020,654, entitled “High elastic modulusprojection screen substrates”, filed Sep. 6, 2013, the entirety of whichis herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to projection screens, and morespecifically to two dimensional and three dimensional projection screensand related components.

BACKGROUND

Generally, current projection and display technologies may includefunctionality to deploy, view and/or display three dimensional (“3D”)content. Recently, the increased demand for such functionality hasdriven the need for enhanced performance and development of projectionand display technology. The choice of projection screen substrates hasevolved over time to facilitate easy shipping and installation. Thecurrent best solution for matte white screens is a highly flexibleplasticized PVC substrate that is tolerant of relatively crudeinstallation techniques. However, as the optical functionalityrequirements for the screen surface have increased, the need for a moremechanically functional substrate has also increased. Accordingly, theneed for installation techniques and mounting methods for substrates hasbecome increasingly important.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method of mounting screen material may include a screen mounted to aframe at multiple mounting points. One embodiment may include mountingpatches attached along the perimeter of the screen. These mountingpatches may be strain relieved in order to enable rolling the screenwithout sacrificing the in-plane rigidity of the patches when the screenis mounted to a frame. Stated differently, the strain relieved patchesmay reduce the strain on the screen in the circumstance the screen isrolled onto a core. The mounting patches may be strain relieved bylocating notches or slits in the mounting patch.

According to the present disclosure, a projection screen may include afirst substrate and a second substrate. Each of the first substrate andthe second substrate may have at least a first seaming edge and a firstmounting edge, and the first seaming edge of the first substrate may bejoined together with the first seaming edge of the second substrate toform a seam. The projection screen may also include a first mountingpatch attached to at least the first substrate panel and the firstmounting patch may have at least one strain relief element. The strainrelief element may reduce strain about a vertical axis, and the firstmounting patch may distribute a mechanical load across at least thefirst substrate so that the strain lines in the first substrate areoptically approximately at or around a just noticeable difference. Thefirst mounting patch may have a first edge that approximately alignswith at least the mounting edge of the first substrate. The firstmounting patch may include an attachment feature that may attach amechanical load to at least the first substrate and the attachmentfeatures may be a hole in the first mounting patch. In one embodiment,the first mounting patch may be mounted on the back side of the firstsubstrate panel. Additionally, the first mounting patch may be asubstantially similar material to the first and second substrate panels.The first and second substrate panels may be PET and the first mountingpatch may be PET. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the firstmounting patch may be within approximately 10-15 percent of thecoefficient of thermal expansion of the first and second substratepanels. The projection screen may include a second mounting patch whichmay be attached to and overlapping the seam formed by joining the firstsubstrate panel and the second substrate panel. Further, the projectionscreen may include a third mounting patch which may be attached to thesecond seaming edge opposite the first seaming edge of the firstsubstrate panel. The fasteners may attach to the third mounting patchand place the first substrate panel under a mechanical load in anapproximately horizontal direction. The attachment feature of the firstmounting patch may not overlap the first substrate panel. Additionally,the first mounting patch thickness may be at least approximately 2.5times stiffer in plane than the first substrate panel.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a strainrelieved patch for attachment to a projection screen may include asubstrate and strain relief features for reducing strain in thesubstrate of the strain relieved patch around an approximately verticalaxis while substantially maintaining in plane rigidity. The strainrelieved path may also include an attachment feature that may allowattachment of a mechanical load and the strain relieved patchapproximately evenly distributes a mechanical load applied to theattachment feature. The strain relieved path may also include anadhesive affixed to the strain relieved patch for mounting the strainrelieved patch to a substrate. The attachment feature may beapproximately circular and form a hole through the strain relievedpatch. The strain relief features may be elongated features and may forman elongated hole through the strain relieved patch. In anotherembodiment, the strain relief features may score the surface of thestrain relieved patch and may not pass completely through the strainrelieved patch. The strain relief features may be elongated and may belocated on the top and the bottom edges of the strain relieved patches.In a different embodiment, the strain relief features may be centeredtoward the approximately vertical middle of the strain relieved patchand may not extend to the edges of the strain relieved patch. The strainrelief features may reduce the tensile stiffness of the strain relievedpatch by less than approximately 40 percent when compared to a similarpatch without strain relief features. Additionally, the strain relieffeatures may reduce the bending stiffness of the strain relieved patchin the approximate range of 50-90 percent when compared to a similarpatch without strain relief features. The strain relieved patch may bePET and the thickness of the strain relieved patch may be in theapproximate range of 10-80 mils thick. The adhesive may be an ultraviolet crosslinking adhesive. In one embodiment, the strain relieffeatures may be on the top of the substrate and may be offset from thestrain relief features on the bottom of the substrate. The attachmentfeature may be reinforced with a grommet and the grommet may be metal.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a projectionscreen system may include a frame, a projection screen which may beattached to the frame by fasteners and the fasteners may attach tomounting patches adjacent to the projection screen. The mounting patchesmay include elongated notches that may relieve strain about a verticalaxis and attachment holes and the fasteners may attach to the mountingpatches via the attachment holes. Additionally, the fasteners may placethe mounting patch under a mechanical load and the mounting patch maysubstantially evenly distribute the mechanical load throughout theprojection screen so that strain lines of the mechanical load across theprojection screen may be optically approximately around a justnoticeable difference. In one embodiment, the fasteners are springs.Additionally, the attachment holes on the mounting patches may notoverlap the projection screen. In another embodiment, the mounting patchmay include an actuator attachment area and the actuator attachment areamay not overlap the projection screen. Further, magnets may be attachedto the mounting patch for attaching an actuator to the mounting patch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingfigures, in which like reference numbers indicate similar parts, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a mountedscreen with mounting patches, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a mountedscreen with mounting patches rolled on a core, in accordance with thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodiment of astrain relieved patch, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodiment of astrain relieved patch with a mounting hole outside the substrate surfacearea, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a strainrelieved patch with strips of adhesive, in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodimentof a mounting patch with area for mounting a mechanical actuatorexternal to a substrate, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a strainrelieved patch that is placed over a screen seam to reinforce the seam;in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodiment of astrain relieved patch that incorporates a grommet to reinforce theattachment point, in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a strainrelieved patch for mounting on the horizontal edge of a screen, inaccordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a strainrelieved patch for mounting on the vertical edge of a screen, inaccordance with the present disclosure;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodiment of astrain relieved patch for mounting on the horizontal edge of a screen,in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodiment of astrain relieved patch for mounting on the vertical edge of a screen, inaccordance with the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 12A and 12B are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodiment of astrain relieved patch for mounting on the vertical edge of a screen, inaccordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, one embodiment of the present disclosure may take the form ofa projection screen for mounting to a frame. The projection screen maybe formed from screen substrate and the projection screen may have atleast a first edge and a second edge. The projection screen may alsoinclude a plurality of mounting patches proximate to at least one of thefirst edge or the second edge. The mounting patches may have strainrelief notches operable to relieve strain on the projection screen andfurther operable to substantially uniformly distribute mechanical loadlines propagating into the screen substrate.

According to the present disclosure, a projection screen system mayinclude a first substrate and a second substrate. Each of the firstsubstrate and the second substrate may have at least a first seamingedge and a first mounting edge, and the first seaming edge of the firstsubstrate may be joined together with the first seaming edge of thesecond substrate to form a seam. The projection screen system may alsoinclude a first mounting patch attached to at least the first substratepanel and the first mounting patch may have at least one strain reliefelement. The strain relief element may reduce strain about a verticalaxis, and the first mounting patch may distribute a mechanical loadacross at least the first substrate so that the strain lines in thefirst substrate are optically approximately at or around a justnoticeable difference. The first mounting patch may have a first edgethat approximately aligns with at least the mounting edge of the firstsubstrate. The first mounting patch may include an attachment featurethat may attach a mechanical load to at least the first substrate andthe attachment features may be a hole in the first mounting patch. Inone embodiment, the first mounting patch may be mounted on the back sideof the first substrate panel. Additionally, the first mounting patch maybe a substantially similar material to the first and second substratepanels. The first and second substrate panels may be PET and the firstmounting patch may be PET. The coefficient of thermal expansion of thefirst mounting patch may be within approximately 10-15 percent of thecoefficient of thermal expansion of the first and second substratepanels. The projection screen system may include a second mounting patchwhich may be attached to and overlapping the seam formed by joining thefirst substrate panel and the second substrate panel. Further, theprojection screen system may include a third mounting patch which may beattached to the second seaming edge opposite the first seaming edge ofthe first substrate panel. The fasteners may attach to the thirdmounting patch and place the first substrate panel under a mechanicalload in an approximately horizontal direction. The attachment feature ofthe first mounting patch may not overlap the first substrate panel.Additionally, the first mounting patch thickness may be at leastapproximately 2.5 times stiffer in plane than the first substrate panel.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a strainrelieved patch for attachment to a projection screen may include asubstrate and strain relief features for reducing strain in thesubstrate of the strain relieved patch around an approximately verticalaxis while substantially maintaining in plane rigidity. The strainrelieved path may also include an attachment feature that may allowattachment of a mechanical load and the strain relieved patchapproximately evenly distributes a mechanical load applied to theattachment feature. The strain relieved path may also include anadhesive affixed to the strain relieved patch for mounting the strainrelieved patch to a substrate. The attachment feature may beapproximately circular and form a hole through the strain relievedpatch. The strain relief features may be elongated features and may forman elongated hole through the strain relieved patch. In anotherembodiment, the strain relief features may score the surface of thestrain relieved patch and may not pass completely through the strainrelieved patch. The strain relief features may be elongated and may belocated on the top and the bottom edges of the strain relieved patches.In a different embodiment, the strain relief features may be centeredtoward the approximately vertical middle of the strain relieved patchand may not extend to the edges of the strain relieved patch. The strainrelief features may reduce the tensile stiffness of the strain relievedpatch by less than approximately 40 percent when compared to a similarpatch without strain relief features. Additionally, the strain relieffeatures may reduce the bending stiffness of the strain relieved patchin the approximate range of 50-90 percent when compared to a similarpatch without strain relief features. The strain relieved patch may bePET and the thickness of the strain relieved patch may be in theapproximate range of 10-80 mils thick. The adhesive may be an ultraviolet crosslinking adhesive. In one embodiment, the strain relieffeatures may be on the top of the substrate and may be offset from thestrain relief features on the bottom of the substrate. The attachmentfeature may be reinforced with a grommet and the grommet may be metal.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a projectionscreen system may include a frame, a projection screen which may beattached to the frame by fasteners and the fasteners may attach tomounting patches adjacent to the projection screen. The mounting patchesmay include elongated notches that may relieve strain about a verticalaxis and attachment holes and the fasteners may attach to the mountingpatches via the attachment holes. Additionally, the fasteners may placethe mounting patch under a mechanical load and the mounting patch maysubstantially evenly distribute the mechanical load throughout theprojection screen so that strain lines of the mechanical load across theprojection screen may be optically approximately around a justnoticeable difference. In one embodiment, the fasteners are springs.Additionally, the attachment holes on the mounting patches may notoverlap the projection screen. In another embodiment, the mounting patchmay include an actuator attachment area and the actuator attachment areamay not overlap the projection screen. Further, magnets may be attachedto the mounting patch for attaching an actuator to the mounting patch.

Recently, significant optical improvements in projection screenperformance have been realized by using continuously embossed plasticfilm, as generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,898,734, which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety. Such screens allow, amongother features, unprecedented control over the distribution of light,improved light polarization maintenance, and higher reflectionefficiency. Additionally, the high modulus substrate (andcoat-before-converting process flow) enables laser drilled microperforations approximately less than 300 microns in diameter, asgenerally described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/786,092,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The highmodulus substrate may also support mechanical vibrations which may behighly useful in mitigating speckle arising from coherent illumination,as generally described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/020,654,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Due to the substrate material, handling and tensioning of the screensmay become more difficult, as generally described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/020,654. Unlike the conventionally usedhighly-plasticized vinyl of standard projection screens, the highmodulus screen may form a kink if bent beyond some minimum radius, thusadditional care may be appropriate when handling these screens.Furthermore, additional care may be appropriate when attaching thescreen to a frame in order to avoid visible wrinkles.

As generally disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/020,654,one method of preventing wrinkles within the screen may be to attach acontinuous mechanical strip along the bottom and top of the screen. Thisstrip may serve to distribute the mechanical load on the screen. Thestrip may be effective at approximately five times thicker than thescreen substrate and approximately 3-4 inches in height. The strip mayalso be approximately aligned with the edge of screen such that both thestrip and screen may be under similar or approximately equal load.Because of these mechanical specifications, it is highly desirable toattach the strips to the screen substrate in a controlled environment,for example, prior to installation in the theater. The terms strip,mounting strip, mechanical strip, and variations thereof may be usedinterchangeably herein for discussion purposes only.

For cinema sized screens with the strip or large screens with the strip,it may be appropriate to roll the screen with the strip onto a core forshipping. Because the mounting strip may be significantly thicker thanthe substrate, the strip may place a large stress on the screen when theassembly is rolled onto a core. In order to balance this stress, it maybe appropriate to apply the strip to both the front and back surface ofthe screen. This complicates the assembly procedure and is onlypartially effective in eliminating stress. The terms screens with strip,screen assembly, and assembly may be used interchangeably herein.

A method of mounting screen material addressing the aforementionedissues will be discussed herein. FIG. 1 illustrates a mounted projectionscreen system 100. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a projection screen 110 maybe mounted or attached to a frame 120. FIG. 1 also illustrates substratepanels 150 adjacent to one another to form seams 155. FIG. 1 illustratesone example of a fastener 130 which may attach the projection screen tothe frame. The projection screen 110 may be attached to the frame 120using any type of appropriate fastener such as a spring, hook, tensionedline, cord, elastic cord, wire, any combination thereof, and so forth.

The fastener 130 may secure the screen to the frame via mounting patches140 which may be attached to the projection screen. Although themounting patches 140 are attached toward the center of the substratepanels 150 in FIG. 1, the mounting patches 140 may be located or placedon top of the seams 155. Additionally, the mounting patches 140 areillustrated on the front of the screen in FIG. 1, however, the mountingpatches may be attached to the perimeter of the screen on the front sideof the screen only, the back side of the screen only, or both. In theexample a screen includes mounting patches on the front side and theback side of the screen, the patches and the notches need not be alignedto one another. The mounting patches may have attachment features ormounting holes that allow the fasteners 130 to secure the screen to theframe. In one embodiment, the mounting holes may overlap the projectionscreen, thus the fasteners may attach to a mounting hole that passesthrough both the mounting patch 140 and the projection screen substrate.The mounting patch, fasteners, and attachment features will be discussedin further detail below. Additionally, the mounting patches may includestrain relief notches or slits. The terms mounting patch, patch, strippatch, mounting strip patch, mechanical strip patch, strain relievedpatch, any combination thereof, and so forth may be used interchangeablyfor discussion purposes only and not for limitation.

Another embodiment includes adhesive patches attached along theperimeter of the screen on the back side of the screen only. The patchesmay be smaller pieces of the mechanical strip previously discussed.These patches may be strain relieved in order to enable rolling of thescreen without sacrificing in-plane rigidity. Stated differently, thestrain relieved patches may reduce the strain on the screen when thescreen is rolled onto a core. The notches in the strain relievedmounting patches may reduce the bending stiffness of the patch in theapproximate range of 50-90% when compared to a mounting patch withoutnotches or slits. Additionally, the reduction in tensile stiffness of apatch with notches may be less than approximately 40% than a patch withno notches. Strain relief may be implemented such that the mechanicaldeformation of patches due to stresses incurred during the storage andshipping of screens may not impose a substantial additional deformationonto the screen substrate upon the removal of loading. The stiffness ofthe patch should not be so great so as to substantially shape the bulksubstrate.

The mounting patches may have slits in the top and bottom edges of thepatch or the slits may be towards the middle of the patch and may notextend to the edges of the patch. Additionally, although the patchesillustrate the notches or slits aligned from the first edge to thesecond edge, the slits may be offset or interleaved with one anotherwith respect to the first and second edges.

FIG. 2 illustrates a projection screen 210 partially rolled onto a core220 in the direction 230. The strain relief mounting patches 230 havestrain relief features or notches that allow the mounting patches 230 tomaintain adhesion to the projection screen 210 while it is being rolledonto a core 220. The terms notches, strain relief features, strainrelief elements, strain relief notches, strain relief slits, strainrelief notches, slits, and so forth, may be used interchangeably fordiscussion purposes only. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 2, themounting patches have 2 strain relief notches. Generally, there may beany number of strain relief notches per patch, which may be centered,symmetric, or asymmetric, and so forth, with respect to the mountingpatch. Furthermore, the strain relief notches may be approximatelyperpendicular to the direction that the screen is being rolled onto thecore, or approximately parallel to the long axis of the core upon whichthe screen with the mounting patches is being rolled on. Stateddifferently, the strain relief is generally aligned to the long axis ofthe core upon which the screen substrate will be rolled onto.

The spacing of the strain relief notches depends on the relativethickness of the screen substrate and the mounting patch. As previouslymentioned, the spacing of the notches may be such that, the strain issufficiently removed from the patch/screen interface once the screenassembly is rolled onto a core. Insufficient notch spacing may beevidenced by the patch becoming delaminated from the screen when thescreen assembly is rolled onto a core, by the screen seams popping apartwhen the screen assembly is rolled onto a core, and so on. Insufficientstrain relief may occur due to insufficient spacing between the notchesand due to insufficient notch size including width and height. Notchsizes may vary from nearly zero in the case of a die or laser “slit”configuration up to approximately 25 percent of overall patch height.Remaining web dimensions should be substantially minimized such that thetotal patch stiffness does not result in plastic deformation of thesubstrate at the maximum strain encountered while wrapping around a coreof 6-14 inches. This may be based on the material modulus. Furthermore,if there are too many notches, the mounting patch may not distribute themechanical load of the attachment feature and if there are too fewnotches, the bending stiffness of the mounting patch may not besufficient and the mounting patch may delaminate from the screen whenthe screen is rolled onto a core. In one example, the notches may beapproximately 0.2 inches wide by 1.5 inches tall full round. Spacingbetween the notches may be approximately 0.6 inches center to center.Patch thickness may be approximately 0.03 inches. Free web height may be0.4 inches and there may be two of these, for example, top and bottom.Patch height may be 2.5 inches not including the attachment feature ormounting tab. The patch width may be approximately 4 inches.

In one example, an approximately 20×40 foot screen may have a PCsubstrate and may be rolled onto a core which may be in the approximaterange of 8-18 inches in diameter. In this example, the screen substratemay be approximately seven mils thick and the mounting patches may be PCand may be in the approximate range of 10-30 mils thick. Continuing theexample, the patches may be approximately 2.5×4 inches and have anapproximate range of notches on each of a first side and second sidebetween approximately 1-10 notches on each side in which the first andsecond side are opposite sides from one another. In one example, thepatches may be nominally spaced at approximately 10 inches center tocenter to provide substantial tensioning points for substantially evenload distribution into the screen substrate. This may provide 48 patchestop and bottom and 24 patches on either side for a total of 144 patches.Even though the notches are illustrated as located on the edges of themounting patches, the notches or slits may be located towards the middleof the patch and may not extend to the edges of the patch. The patchesmay be polycarbonate (“PC”), polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”),polyethylene naphthalate (“PEN”), Acrylic or polymethyl methacrylate(“PMMA”), cyclic olefin copolymer (“COC”), or any other similarmaterial, and may be in the approximate range of 10-80 mils thick.Generally, the patch may be any material that has a coefficient ofthermal expansion that is within approximately 10-15 percent of thescreen substrate. The tensile yield load of the substrate from themechanical load of the springs on the attachment points may beapproximately 30 lbs per linear foot.

Additionally, the spacing of the notches in the patch may be such thateach of the mounting patches may maintain appropriate in-plane rigidity.Stated differently, the tensile yield load of a remaining web orsubstrate may be a least approximately 10 times the expected loadapplied to the screen substrate. This load may be in the approximaterange of 5-15 lbs per linear foot per patch. Sufficient in-planerigidity may distribute point loads and eliminate wrinkles in the screensubstrate under load. For example, a patch with appropriately spacednotches may be said to maintain in-plane rigidity, when the distributionfrom the mechanical load, such as a spring, is appropriately distributedacross the screen substrate. This may be evinced by the load linespropagating in the substrate, being approximately at or around a justnoticeable difference on the screen substrate. A just noticeabledifference may be understood as at or around approximately one percentdifferential of the mean intensity. Stated differently, an appropriatelyspaced notch may distribute the mechanical load so that an observer maynot be able to detect the mechanical load lines propagating into thescreen substrate when the screen is mounted under a mechanical load.

In one example, once the patches are attached to the screen, the slitsin the top and bottom edges of the patches may be approximatelyperpendicular to the screen edge. Although the strain relief notches maybe off perpendicular to the screen edge, the slits may be aligned sothat the patch relieves the strain on the screen substrate. Further, thepatches may be attached to the back side of the screen using an adhesivewhich may be a long term or substantially permanently bonded polymersuch as a UV adhesive, two-part adhesive, cyanoacrylate adhesive,thermally bonded adhesive, chemically bonded adhesive, and so forth. Thesurface of the patch may be roughed up to increase the bond between themounting patch surface and the screen surface.

In general, cinema projection screens are attached to a frame through afinite number of mounting points. The screen may have a series ofgrommets along its perimeter and the grommets may serve as attachmentpoints for the screen to a frame. The screen may be attached to theframe using any number of components, such as, but not limited to aspring, hook, tensioned line, cord, elastic cord, wire, any combinationthereof, and so forth. An example attachment component of the screen tothe frame may distribute this series of point loads substantiallyuniformly over the edge of the screen. At the same time, the attachmentcomponent may not resist rolling of the assembly onto a core. Therefore,an attachment component may have relatively high in-plane stiffness butlittle out of plane stiffness. Thus, this attachment component may be asection of plastic substrate, which may be thicker than the screensubstrate. The attachment component or mounting patch may have strainrelief notches cut in it as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams illustrating one embodiment of astrain relieved patch or mounting patch. As illustrated in FIGS. 3A and3B, a mounting patch 300 may include strain relieved elements 310 and anattachment feature 320. The attachment feature 320 illustrated in FIGS.3A and 3B as a hole, may be punched through both the strain relieved ormounting patch and the screen substrate. The attachment feature 320 mayserve as an attachment point for spring, hook, tensioned line, cord,elastic cord, wire, any combination thereof, and so forth. Although theattachment feature or hole is illustrated as approximately circular, theattachment feature may be any shape that allows the mounting patch todistribute the mechanical load appropriately through the screen. Forexample, a spring may be used to attach the screen to a mounting framevia the attachment feature or attachment point in the strain relievedpatch.

Additionally, the assembly step may be simplified if the patch includesan external loop as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Although the mountingpatch 300 is illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B as approximatelyrectangular, the mounting patch may be any shape, including, but notlimited to, square, quadrilateral, oval, circular, triangular, anasymmetric shape, and so forth. Additionally, the hole is illustrated asbeing toward the edge of the screen or not overlapping with the screen,however, the hole may be located at almost any area on the patch, solong as the mechanical load may be distributed through the screensubstrate when the screen is mounted. Further, the corners of themounting patch 300 need not be rounded as illustrated and may be squaredoff or at any angle that appropriately reduces the strain and thatsubstantially evenly distributes the mechanical load at the attachmentfeature through the screen substrate when the screen is mounted.

In one example, the strain relieved elements 310 of FIGS. 3A and 3B areillustrated as elongated notches in the mounting patch 300 and extend tothe edges of the mounting patch 300. The strain relieved elements may beany shape so long as the strain is relieved when curving the mountingpatch about a vertical axis, while substantially maintaining in planerigidity. More specifically, the strain relieved elements may reduce thestrain in the mounting patch when a screen with the mounting patches isrolled onto a core and curved as illustrated in FIG. 2 or when aprojection screen with the mounting patches is mounted on a curvedframe. In another example, the strain relieved elements may be a seriesof holes that are not connected to one another. In yet another example,the strain relieved elements may be scored elements that are partialgrooves in the surface of the mounting patch, but that do not pass allthe way through the mounting patch.

Also illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B are various methods of attaching themounting patch, via the attachment element, to a frame. FIGS. 4A and 4Billustrate the use of an elastic cord and a hook, respectively, for thepurposes of discussion only and not of limitation. As previousdiscussed, the attachment feature 410 may serve as an attachment pointfor a spring, hook, tensioned line, cord, elastic cord, wire, anycombination thereof, and so forth.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating one embodiment of astrain relieved patch with a mounting hole or attachment element outsidethe screen substrate surface area. As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B,the mounting patch 400 includes an attachment element or mounting hole410 that is outside the substrate surface area. Stated differently, whenthe mounting patch 400 is attached to a projection screen, the mountinghole 410 may not overlap the projection screen substrate. Additionally,the spacing of the strain relief notches 420 may depend on the relativethickness of the screen substrate and the strain relieved patch. InFIGS. 4A and 4B, the strain relief notches are illustrated asapproximately aligned with one another from the top of the mountingpatch to the bottom of the mounting patch. In another embodiment, thestrain relief notches may not be aligned but offset from one another.

As previously discussed, the mounting hole may be internal to the screenor overlapping with the screen substrate, and it may be possible to usepressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) for the attachment. However, when themounting hole does not overlap with the screen substrate, creep of themounting patch relative to the screen may still be a problem. If themounting hole does not overlap with the screen substrate, then creep maybecome more likely. Additionally, the PSA on the mounting patch maydelaminate from the screen substrate once the screen/mounting patchassembly is rolled onto a core, even with the strain-relief features.Delamination may be prevented by using a permanent adhesive such as a UVcrosslinking PSA, cyanoacrylate, UV crosslinking adhesive, thermosetadhesive, ultrasonic welding, any combination thereof, and so forth.Thermal adhesive, ultrasonic welding, and UV crosslinking adhesive eachhave the advantage of being dry processes.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a strainrelieved patch with narrow strips of adhesive. Further, FIG. 5illustrates a patch with three strips of adhesive on the patch locatedso that the patch may be sufficiently attached to the screen substrate.FIG. 5 illustrates a mounting patch 500 attached to a screen substrate510. The mounting patch 500 has strain relief elements 520 and adhesivestrips 530. In some cases in which the adhesive proves to be expensive,it may be beneficial to apply the adhesive in narrow strips to themounting patch, as shown in FIG. 5. This may enable sufficientconnection to the screen and distribute the point load while minimizingcost. Similar to other embodiments discussed herein, the patches of FIG.5 may be strain relieved by providing notches in the mounting patches.The relatively high in-plane stiffness of the attachment patch thenserves to propagate the vibration into the screen. Additionallyillustrated in FIG. 5 is an attachment element 540. The attachmentelement 540, in this example, does not overlap the screen substrate 510.The in-plane stiffness may be approximately 2.5 times the base substratetensile stiffness. In one example, a PET patch may be four inches wideand be intended to transfer a mechanical load into 10-12 inches of a PETscreen substrate, and may be at least 2.5 times stiffer in plane, thanthe substrate.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, AND 6C illustrate a patch attached to the screen, with anactuator attachment area outside of the screen surface area. Asillustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C, the mounting patch 600 is attachedto a screen substrate 610 and the mounting patch 600 also includes anarea for attaching an actuator 650. FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C illustratedifferent view of the mounting patch 600. The active area or viewingarea of the screen may be maximized by oversizing the mounting patch toallow attachment of the actuator substantially outside of the visiblearea of the screen as shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C. The mounting patch600 is similar to previously discussed mounting patches as the mountingpatch 600 also includes strain relief features and an attachment element640 which is in the shape of a hole.

In one embodiment, mechanical vibration may be applied to the screen inorder to eliminate speckle. The mounting patches may be used asattachment points for the actuators. The patch may be pre-drilled forscrews or punched/drilled at the screen installation. The actuator canbe installed directly on the surface of the screen as shown in FIGS. 6A,6B, and 6C. Additionally, the actuators may be attached to the mountingpatches by gluing magnets to the patches and attaching the actuators tothe magnets.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are schematic diagrams illustrating one embodimentof a mounting patch with area for mounting a mechanical actuatorexternal to a substrate. In one example, the patch may accommodate theinstallation of the actuator proximate to the screen surface asillustrated in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C. Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 6A,6B, and 6C, although the actuator may be proximate to the screensurface, the screen perimeter may have masking that may hide the screenperimeter region with the actuator so that the actuator may not bevisible from the front of the screen. In this example, the spacing andthe number of slits or notches in the patches may also depend on theappropriate propagation of the vibration from the actuator through thescreen substrate.

The location of the patches on the screen may be sufficiently close toone another such that when the screen is mounted on a curved frame thescreen closely follows the curvature of the frame. For typical frameradii found in cinema applications, approximately 6-12 inches ofseparation between mounting points or mounting patches center to center,may be sufficient. It may also be beneficial to locate the patches ontop of or overlapping with the screen seams. Doing so may reinforce theseams at the screen edges as shown in FIG. 7. The patches may be locatedboth over the seams and also in the area between each of the seams onthe substrate.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a strainrelieved patch that is placed over a screen seam to reinforce the seam.Further, FIG. 7 illustrates a mounting patch 700 attached to a screensubstrate 710 located on top of a screen seam 720 at the screen edge.The screen seam 720 is a result of a first screen substrate 710A and asecond screen substrate 710B being placed adjacent to one another tocreate a screen seam 720. The screen seam 720 may join the first andsecond screen substrates 710A and 710B, respectively, by a butt joint orany other appropriate joining method. Although in FIG. 7 the patch iscentered over the top of the screen seam, the patch may be located offcenter with respect to the screen seam. Again, the mounting patch 700includes strain relief notches and an attachment element. The attachmentelement is not overlapping the screen substrate for the purposes ofdiscussion only and not of limitation. The attachment element, aspreviously discussed may overlap the screen substrate and the hole maypass through both the mounting patch and the screen substrate.

While a patch thickness of approximately five times the film thicknessmay typically be sufficient to distribute the point attachment load overthe screen, the material may be too brittle to form a reliableattachment point. In this example, grommets can be either mechanicallyattached to the patch as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B or adhesively bondedto the patch. FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating oneembodiment of a strain relieved patch that incorporates a grommet toreinforce the attachment point. FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate differentperspectives of the mounting patch 800. FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate amounting patch 800 with an attachment element that includes a grommet810. The grommet material may be made from a wide variety of materialsincluding metals, thicker plastics, rubbers, any combination thereof,and so forth. Furthermore, a grommet may be used to reinforce theattachment point in both cases in which the attachment point overlapsthe screen substrate or if the attachment point is outside of thesurface area of the screen substrate.

FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a strainrelieved patch for mounting on the horizontal edge of a screen and FIG.9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a strainrelieved patch for mounting on the vertical edge of a screen. Asillustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the strain relief notches are elongatedin different directions with respect to the edge of the screen. In FIG.9A, the strain relief notches 910 are approximately normal to the screenedge 920 and in FIG. 9B, the strain relief notches 910 are approximatelyparallel to the screen edge 920. As previously discussed, the strainrelief notches may be elongated from the edge of the mounting patch andextend toward the center of the patch, or the strain relief notch may belocated toward the center of the patch and the notches may not extend tothe edges of the patch. In one embodiment, the strain relief notches maybe approximately perpendicular to the direction that the screen isrolled onto a core as illustrated in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodiment of astrain relieved patch for mounting on the horizontal edge of a screen.As previously discussed, the slits or notches 1010 may be located towardthe center of the mounting patch and may not extend to the edges of thepatch. In one embodiment, there may not be an attachment feature or hole1020, and the spring or cord may attach through one or more of thenotches.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating an embodiment of astrain relieved patch for mounting on the vertical edge of a screen.Similar to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the strain relief notches 1110 may belocated toward the center of the patch and may not extend to the edgesof the patch. Furthermore, the strain relief notches are oriented in adirection that is approximately perpendicular to the direction in whicha screen may be rolled onto a core. As previously discussed, attachmenthole 1120 may overlap the screen substrate as illustrated in FIGS. 11Aand 11B. Similar to FIGS. 11A and 11B, FIGS. 12A and 12B are schematicdiagrams illustrating an embodiment of a strain relieved patch formounting on the vertical edge of a screen. FIGS. 12A and 12B illustrateyet another possible configuration of the strain relief notches 1210 orslits.

It should be noted that embodiments of the present disclosure may beused in a variety of optical systems and projection systems. Theembodiment may include or work with a variety of projectors, projectionsystems, optical components, self-contained projector systems, visualand/or audiovisual systems and electrical and/or optical devices.Aspects of the present disclosure may be used with practically anyapparatus related to optical and electrical devices, optical systems,presentation systems or any apparatus that may contain any type ofoptical system. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure maybe employed in optical systems, devices used in visual and/or opticalpresentations, visual peripherals and so on and in a number of computingenvironments including the Internet, intranets, local area networks,wide area networks and so on.

It should be understood that the disclosure is not limited in itsapplication or creation to the details of the particular arrangementsshown, because the embodiments disclosed herein are capable of otherembodiments. Moreover, aspects of the embodiments may be set forth indifferent combinations and arrangements to define embodiments unique intheir own right. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and not of limitation.

As may be used herein, the terms “substantially” and “approximately”provide an industry-accepted tolerance for its corresponding term and/orrelativity between items. Such an industry-accepted tolerance rangesfrom less than one percent to ten percent and corresponds to, but is notlimited to, component values, angles, et cetera. Such relativity betweenitems ranges between less than one percent to ten percent.

While various embodiments in accordance with the principles disclosedherein have been described above, it should be understood that they havebeen presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, thebreadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited by any of theabove-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with any claims and their equivalents issuing from thisdisclosure. Furthermore, the above advantages and features are providedin described embodiments, but shall not limit the application of suchissued claims to processes and structures accomplishing any or all ofthe above advantages.

Additionally, the section headings herein are provided for consistencywith the suggestions under 37 CFR 1.77 or otherwise to provideorganizational cues. These headings shall not limit or characterize theembodiment(s) set out in any claims that may issue from this disclosure.Specifically and by way of example, although the headings refer to a“Technical Field,” the claims should not be limited by the languagechosen under this heading to describe the so-called field. Further, adescription of a technology in the “Background” is not to be construedas an admission that certain technology is prior art to anyembodiment(s) in this disclosure. Neither is the “Summary” to beconsidered as a characterization of the embodiment(s) set forth inissued claims. Furthermore, any reference in this disclosure to“invention” in the singular should not be used to argue that there isonly a single point of novelty in this disclosure. Multiple embodimentsmay be set forth according to the limitations of the multiple claimsissuing from this disclosure, and such claims accordingly define theembodiment(s), and their equivalents, that are protected thereby. In allinstances, the scope of such claims shall be considered on their ownmerits in light of this disclosure, but should not be constrained by theheadings set forth herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A projection screen, comprising: a firstsubstrate and a second substrate, wherein each of the first substrateand the second substrate have at least a first seaming edge and a firstmounting edge, further wherein the first seaming edge of the firstsubstrate is joined together with the first seaming edge of the secondsubstrate to form a seam; a first mounting patch attached to at leastthe first substrate, wherein the first mounting patch has at least onestrain relief element, wherein the strain relief element reduces strainabout a vertical axis, wherein the first mounting patch distributes amechanical load across at least the first substrate so that the strainlines in the first substrate are optically at or around a justnoticeable difference, further wherein the first mounting patch has afirst edge that approximately aligns with at least the mounting edge ofthe first substrate.
 2. The projection screen of claim 1, wherein thefirst mounting patch further comprises: an attachment feature thatattaches a mechanical load to at least the first substrate, wherein theattachment feature is a hole through the first mounting patch.
 3. Theprojection screen of claim 2, wherein the attachment feature of thefirst mounting patch does not overlap the first substrate panel.
 4. Theprojection screen of claim 1, wherein the first mounting patch ismounted on the back side of the first substrate panel.
 5. The projectionscreen of claim 1, wherein the first mounting patch is a substantiallysimilar material to the first and second substrate panels.
 6. Theprojection screen of claim 1, wherein the first and second substratepanels are PET.
 7. The projection screen of claim 1, wherein the firstmounting patch is PET.
 8. The projection screen of claim 1, wherein thecoefficient of thermal expansion of the first mounting patch is withinapproximately 10-15 percent of the coefficient of thermal expansion ofthe first and second substrate panels.
 9. The projection screen of claim1, further comprising a second mounting patch attached to andoverlapping the seam formed by joining the first substrate panel and thesecond substrate panel.
 10. The projection screen of claim 1, furthercomprising a third mounting patch which attaches to the second seamingedge opposite the first seaming edge of the first substrate panel. 11.The projection screen of claim 10, wherein the fasteners attach to thethird mounting patch and place the first substrate panel under amechanical load in an approximately horizontal direction.
 12. Theprojection screen of claim 1, wherein the first mounting patch thicknessis at least approximately 2.5 times stiffer in plane than the firstsubstrate panel.
 13. A strain relieved patch for attachment to aprojection screen, comprising: a substrate; strain relief features forreducing strain in the substrate of the strain relieved patch around anapproximately vertical axis while substantially maintaining in planerigidity; an attachment feature that allows attachment of a mechanicalload, wherein the strain relieved patch approximately evenly distributesa mechanical load applied to the attachment feature; and an adhesiveaffixed to the strain relieved patch for mounting the strain relievedpatch to a substrate; and wherein the strain relief features score asurface of the strain relieved patch and do not pass completely throughthe strain relieved patch.
 14. The strain relieved patch for attachmentto a projection screen of claim 13, wherein the attachment feature isapproximately circular and forms a hole through the strain relievedpatch.
 15. The strain relieved patch for attachment to a projectionscreen of claim 13, wherein the strain relief features are elongatedfeatures.
 16. The strain relieved patch for attachment to a projectionscreen of claim 15, wherein the strain relief features form an elongatedhole through the strain relieved patch.
 17. The strain relieved patchfor attachment to a projection screen of claim 13, wherein the strainrelief features are elongated and are located on the top and the bottomedges of the strain relieved patches.
 18. The strain relieved patch forattachment to a projection screen of claim 17, wherein the strain relieffeatures on the top of the substrate are offset from the strain relieffeatures on the bottom of the substrate.
 19. The strain relieved patchfor attachment to a projection screen of claim 13, wherein the strainrelief features are centered toward the approximately vertical middle ofthe strain relieved patch and do not extend to the edges of the strainrelieved patch.
 20. The strain relieved patch for attachment to aprojection screen of claim 13, wherein the strain relief features reducethe tensile stiffness of the strain relieved patch by less thanapproximately 40 percent when compared to a similar patch without strainrelief features.
 21. The strain relieved patch for attachment to aprojection screen of claim 13, wherein the strain relief features reducethe bending stiffness of the strain relieved patch in the approximaterange of 50-90 percent when compared to a similar patch without strainrelief features.
 22. The strain relieved patch for attachment to aprojection screen of claim 13, wherein the substrate is PET.
 23. Thestrain relieved patch for attachment to a projection screen of claim 13,wherein the thickness of the substrate is in the approximate range of10-80 mils thick.
 24. The strain relieved patch for attachment to aprojection screen of claim 13, wherein the adhesive is an ultra violetcrosslinking adhesive.
 25. The strain relieved patch for attachment to aprojection screen of claim 13, wherein the attachment feature isreinforced with a grommet.
 26. The strain relieved patch for attachmentto a projection screen of claim 25, wherein the grommet is metal.